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Gorgeous new bride Nikki Gil wears our pieces in the current issue of Metro Weddings.
Inset is our pink tourmaline necklace set in hammered gold with moonstones and cultured pearls.
And here she wears a lovely pair of large kunzite earrings with blue topaz and diamonds in rose gold.
Many thanks to Trisha Chua and Metro Weddings!
Amethyst is the birthstone for February (and mine), but honestly was never one of my favorite gemstones till late. Said to prevent one from getting drunk, which I highly doubt. But bringing calmness, protection and positive energy I'm starting to believe more each day as I have a geode on my bedside table. Inset is an amethyst pendant with links of diamonds and rubies set in rose gold. A purple heart for you romantics. Happy V Day!
I donated this piece for this year's UNICEF's Auction for Action. What I named Building Blocks; a layered necklace of buffalo bone and handmade oxidized silver cubes. A mix of industrial and organic.
Preview/viewing of select works to be auctioned runs October 3-26 at the Yuchengco Museum. The eBay auction runs from October 21-26.
Place your bids and save children at stores.ebay.ph/unicefph. The link will go live nearer the auction date so check back soon!
Honored and humbled once again to be part of this charity event. It's the perfect way to give and receive. Online auction runs from Oct 1 to 7, 2012 and you only have to register for free on eBay.ph to be able to take home some great pieces by great Filipino artisans. Above is my necklace titled "Amorphous". With pave of mixed colored sapphires and carnelian hoops set in vermeil.
To see the whole auction catalog click HERE.
For information about UNICEF, its work, and the upcoming Auciton for Action 2012, visit www.unicef.ph.
Here's a nice strand of graduated round Tahitian pearls in different shades. Beautiful luster; some with peacock overtones. With an off-center pendant of rubies and diamonds set in hammered yellow gold.
Fortunate enough to be part of this online art jewelry exhibition called "Differences Unite Us" wherein entries from 26 countries were submitted. It's great to see how many other jewelry artists interpreted the theme via materials used and a wide variety of techniques. I submitted photos of past notable pieces as the notched Morganic Bangle and a piece called Anita I made for an exhibit paying tribute to Anita Magsaysay-Ho and her ceramic paintings.
You can view the online exhibit by clicking HERE.
Anita necklace: Ming shard, chalcedony, turquoise, seed pearls and sterling silver. To view in the online exhibit click HERE.
And this is the bespoke bangle I made using dark colored tourmalines interspersed with pink ones set in a notch; embedded in a stark white silver cuff. To view in the online exhibit click HERE.
Town & Country features Michelle Ongpin in breathtaking Balesin Island for their summer and travel issue!
Partially hidden, here she wears my multi-strand necklace of emerald-like tsavorites, cultured pearls, coral, aquamarines and carnelians set in yellow gold. Big, bold and beautiful.
And here she wears my multi strand bib of faceted smoky quartz with green amethysts set in hand textured yellow gold.
Here's to a hot, heady summer ahead!
*Both necklaces available at Firma Greenbelt 3 as part of the Deux Yeux collection.
'Tis the season... for getting together and reconnecting with friends and family. But what to wear?
Inset are some new items that were designed to be predominantly neutral; flexible enough to wear day and night. On top is a double strand of white cultured pearls. Which can also be worn as a long, single strand by detaching the clasps from behind. On it hangs a pendant of rose-cut, white and pastel colored sapphires set in yellow gold. The pendant is also movable and can be worn with other necklaces; be it a cord, chain or ribbon.
These earrings are also composed of white rose-cut sapphires. Also with blue sapphires, rubies and diamonds. Of which the danglers are detachable and the tops can be worn as chic studs.
These are part of the recently launched 2011 Deux Yeux collection. Available at Firma, Greenbelt 3.
...for being able to finish another collection. Thankful also to those physically and spiritually present at the launch. Of course, among many other things to feel so blessed about.
Inset has to be one of my favorite pieces in the Deux Yeux collection. Its a necklace of lemon topaz and honey quartz with an arabesque gold detail in pave of white sapphires strung on faceted spinel beads. The yellow of lemon topaz is actually a natural color. In fact, people back in the day almost automatically labeled any yellow stone as topaz much as they would any blue stone sapphires. The now popular blue color of topaz has only been a relatively recent development with the help of man; one has to first heat treat and then irradiate white topaz in order to obtain the signature hue. But its nice to see large, natural specimens once in a while.
Available in Firma Greenbelt 3.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Historically, red spinels have been incorrectly labeled as rubies. But it's quite understandable how this happened as:
1.) Spinels are usually found in the same places where corundum is found; with ruby being the red variety of corundum. In fact spinels are often used as indicator stones by sapphire miners when looking for new sites as they occur together quite commonly.
2.) They have similar qualities in that corundum and spinels are hard minerals. And when faceted gives a similar sharp brilliance. There are blue spinels as well and some outstanding samples intersected with the colors of blue sapphires (also corundum).
3.) Basically anything red was labeled as rubies back in the day.
Today, however, gemology has allowed for clear separation/identification of these two gems. And I happen to love spinels because it comes in these moody shades. Yes, exceptionally rare ones are red or sapphire-like blue. But they also come in bright pinks, deep purples and deep greens. Transparent, clean, faceted spinels are really fine examples of colored gems and posses an almost diamond-like brilliance. Plus they're never really treated to enhance their colors or clarity in any way.
Inset are earrings and a necklace of multi-colored faceted spinels with round brilliant diamonds set in white gold.
